“Two months before I decided to go to LA I felt like I was lost, career wise,” the actor tells Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronot’s weekend edition. And now I feel that the roles I get offered are not my style – the charmer, sexy, cute, handsome guy. I’m not interested in doing it. I was offered these roles both in theater and on television, and I accepted none of them.”

Until recently, Zehavi participated in the Israeli version of the musical Hair, and according to him, now that the musical goes on hiatus, there’s no better time for him to fly to LA and promote his international acting career.” It’s funny, but in the US I get a lot more auditions than here,” he tells the newspaper. “It doesn’t make me happy, though. I have yet to reach my artistic peak, I’m light years away from that.”

Just before embarking on his trip Zehavi made the gossip columns in Israel after proposing to his girlfriend, actress Lihi Kornowski. It happened during a Shabbat dinner with both his family and his fiance’s family present. “It was very exciting,” he tells Yediot. “They say that when you marry someone you marry their family, and Lihi’s family is amazing. It was only natural that it would be in front of everyone.”

Zahavi, who suffered combat shell shock during his military service, is now looking at his military service in a different way. “Not all Arabs are terrorists, and as a soldier you have to obey orders, and your moral conscience is crushed, shut down,” he says. “I look at it in hindsight and say ‘what a machine I was.’ For the Palestinians, encounters with the IDF is very discouraging. They really don’t see it as the most moral army in the world.”

A Wider Bridge is a North American organization working through education, advocacy, relationship-building and grant-making to create equality in Israel by expanding LGBTQ inclusion in Israel, and equality for Israel by cultivating constructive engagement with Israel.

#Pride

LGBTQ pride is more than just a parade. It’s being proud of oneself as LGBTQ and being proud of our communities. It’s showing the world we’re here, queer, and fabulous. Read the stories published on our website on this very important topic. Read here >>

Film

In ‘Montana’ (2017), Efi returns to her hometown of Akko following her grandfather’s passing and meets Karen – a teacher, wife and mother of two. The two women instantly form a connection and fall in love. watch the trailer >>

Organization

LGBTQ Refugees Program, a project of the Aguda, assists some of Israel’s most at risk populations. Read more >>